AddictionAlcoholism is a fatal disease. It is One Hundred Percent fatal. Nobody survives alcoholism that remains unchecked, untreated and unattended. Ten percent of the drinkers in America will become addicted one time or another in their lives. They will not be able to stop drinking by themselves. It is a myth that they will seek on their own and it is our experience that they come to treatment from crises that penetrates their almost impenetrable defense systems and denial of their problems. Without intervention, they will fail and they will perish miserably. ( please see the intervention link) Make no mistake about it, Alcohol is a disease and needs treatment. It affects the entire body: physically, mentally, psychologically and spiritually. The single biggest factor of the disease is that it is primary, progressive, chronic and in all circumstances if untreated, fatal. Diabetes is also fatal if left unchecked but it can be arrested with insulin and control. The same is true of alcoholism. But control is final; sobriety means zero tolerance. If you are to control an alcoholic, you must stop the drinking; period. The progression of alcoholism can be stopped and the alcoholic can recover but not be cured. This is a pragmatic statement which has visible proof in the recovery of hundreds of thousands of AA members in the past seventy years. They are alive and they have pioneered the path for countless hundreds of thousands of alcoholics that have followed in their wake. The pioneers have breathed hope and a chance for survival when non existed prior to that fateful meeting between Bill W. and Dr. Bob in 1935. The salvation of these drunks disproves the lie that this illness is too complex and too individual by nature to ever tackle or to even treat. We use the definition of Addiction to refer to a combined experience of mental and physical dependence on a substance. This substance is compelling in its use even though you know you face considerable harm by using it. You are addicted when you can no longer direct yourself out of harms way and must use it. You are addicted when you continue to use the substance or engage in behavior that puts you in harms way no matter what the consequences. Simply stated, addiction causes a change in your brain. When this change occurs, you lose control over your urges to use a substance or engage in certain behaviors. The urges are irresistible. You can become so compelled by your addictive behavior that nothing else matters. It is an equal opportunity employer and it does not matter how smart you are, how accomplished you are, or how physically strong you are. It can happen to virtually anyone at anytime and anyplace and require treatment The definition of dependence is really just one step along the slippery path that leads to addiction. With prolong use, dependence results in a switch in your brain being thrown. The experience you have after that switch has been thrown is what we call addiction. This introduces another term; abuse. Abuse can occur without dependence but the reverse is rarely true; dependence almost always leads to abuse. In order to emphasize the progression of the disease from its early to middle and late stages, the following definition was adopted by the Board of Directors of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the American Society of Addiction Medicine in February of 1990. "Alcoholism is a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by continuous or periodic; impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial."
Note on Drinking and Driving----It may surprise you to learn that you don't need to drink much alcohol before your driving ability is affected. For example, certain driving skills can be impaired by blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) as low as 0.02 percent. (The BAC refers to the amount of alcohol in the blood.) A 160-pound man will have a BAC of about 0.04 percent 1 hour after drinking two 12-ounce beers or two other standard drinks on an empty stomach (see the box, "What Is a Drink?"). And the more alcohol you drink, the more impaired your driving skills will be. Although most States set the BAC limit for adults who drive after drinking at 0.08 percent, driving skills are affected at much lower levels. Note on Drinking and Cancer----Long-term heavy drinking increases the risk of certain forms of cancer, especially cancer of the esophagus, mouth, throat, and larynx (voice box). Research suggests that, in some women, as little as one drink per day can slightly raise the risk of breast cancer. Drinking may also increase the risk for developing cancer of the colon and rectum and require immediate treatment.
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